The Search for Spock
by Miss-Inquisitive-Sci-fi
Summary: The Discovery's search for Spock has finally led them to Vulcan. Search teams begin to scour the planet led by Captain Pike and Commander Burnham. They both hope to find Spock alive and in one piece but more importantly they hope to find him before Section 31 and a certain crazed ex-Captain can. Pike Whump.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - This will be a multi-chapter story, somewhat continues from my previous story but reading that is not necessary. Anyway Enjoy!**

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"All clear in this quadrant Sir, no Vulcan life signs."

Pike sighed and wiped his face wearily; after hours of searching there was still no sign of Spock and it was all looking rather hopeless. Spock should have been easy to find, he was the only half-human half-Vulcan being alive but that hardly mattered whilst he was on Vulcan. The planets atmosphere messed with Discovery's scanning equipment so terribly that they had been forced to take a more practical approach.

Discovery's Captain was leading one of dozens of search parties spread all over the planet performing a sector by sector sweep. It was a time-consuming task which involved the team setting up relays to boost the signal to Discovery's sensors; every resource was being put into finding Spock before someone rather less friendly did.

"Alright, pack it up." Pike eventually replied to his team of three. "I'll update Discovery and we'll move out to the next zone."

This had been the 5th zone that he and his team had scanned so across all their landing party teams they had already covered a sizeable amount of Vulcan; it wasn't going quickly enough though. Discovery couldn't be the only one who knew Spock was on Vulcan by now.

Chris went for his communicator and updated the ship of their failure; no other teams had had any success either. The team soon packed up their equipment and headed back towards the entrance to the cave, their footsteps echoing in the dimly lit space.

Pike followed on behind and completely missed whatever had made two of his officers freeze. His eyes followed something that clunked and was rolling towards his feet, something that suspiciously looked just like a canister of some kind. _Stun grenade…_

His mind screamed danger and his hand flew to his phaser a micro-second before the canister exploded in his face. His ears were assaulted by a deafening ringing and blinding light assaulted his vision. He staggered backwards and stumbled as his senses remained disorientated; somehow he managed to pluck his phaser from his holster but that was hardly going to be any good if he couldn't damn well see beyond the end of his nose.

Chris coughed and blinked out the tears from his eyes whilst raising his weapon to face whatever threat this was. He could just make out the shapes of the two officers in front of him and heard they were having just as much trouble as he was with seeing and breathing. Without further warning two red phaser blasts slammed into the officer's bodies and they both went down with a strangled cry, Pike's brain belatedly informed him that those weren't stun blasts.

"No!" He shouted belatedly at the two officers who now lay dead at his feet; how had things gone wrong so fast?

A huge force punched into his chest sending him flying backwards several feet. He landed on his back painfully hitting rocks and felt all the air rush out of his lungs with a groan. It took Christopher a few seconds to realise he wasn't dead and even though it felt like he'd been hit by a car he hadn't been hit by a fatal phaser blast. He registered a yelp to his left and guiltily remembered he had another crew member down here with him; well another one besides the two officers he had just seen brutally murdered.

Knowing his officer needed him Pike shook the fog from his head and made to rise to fight the threat head on; sadly he didn't get very far. The Captain yelled out with surprise as a boot crashed into his ribs and he fell back hitting his head harshly once again. He felt blood start to trickle from the resulting wound and his vision exploded into stars. Chris went to bring his phaser up to aim at the mysterious attacker when a foot stamped down on his wrist and pinned his limb to the ground.

He groaned and was about to try and roll out of his perilous position when his eye sight finally adjusted and he realised he was staring straight up into the barrel of a phaser rifle, set to kill. His mind froze and he felt defeat well up in him, who knew after all this time he would meet his end on Vulcan of all places.

"Let it go."

Pike forced himself to look past the vicious blaster's barrel and his mind reeled when he saw who was holding the deadly weapon, who had killed his people and would likely kill him. Captain Philippa Georgiou of Section 31 dressed all in black like a god damn devil.

When he refused to do anything Georgiou ground her boot into his wrist brutally and he heard his bones scrape under the pressure. It was successful in that a muscle spasm forced him to lose grip of his phaser; not that the weapon would be much use in his position.

Christopher wasn't a spiteful man and hatred didn't come naturally to him but Philippa had murdered two of his officers in cold blood, so right now he hated her more than anyone he could remember. His disdain was clearly plastered all over his face as he stared up into her callous face, she didn't care what had happened here.

"Get it over with." He spat and shocked himself with the defeatist attitude, this wasn't like him but he could scarcely say he had been in this position before and he was not about to beg this traitor who was _still_ wearing a starfleet badge for his life.

She seemed to consider him for a second then surprisingly removed her boot from his arm and kicked his phaser out of reach. "I don't want to kill you Captain"

He felt sickened as the scent of scorched flesh assaulted his nostrils. "Why not? You murdered my crew." He spat the last part putting all of his loathing into the words.

What made matters worst was her grin. She then indicated to his left and pointed her blaster that way. "I haven't killed everyone yet."

Pike followed her gaze and he spotted his other crew member, a young Ensign who had only been aboard Discovery for a few months. It seemed so unfair that this was her first away mission and something so hateful and tragic like this had happened. A Captain was supposed to protect his crew and he had failed them. If it weren't for the slight chest movement he would have guessed from the blood on her face that his officer was already dead; he had half expected to be staring into lifeless eyes and was incredibly thankful that he wasn't.

Georgiou stalked over to the fallen officer causing Pike to sit up abruptly his protective instinct taking over. He couldn't just sit back and let the last of his landing party be brutally cut down. Philippa noticed his sudden movement and he stopped immediately when the blaster pointed at his officer's head.

"Ah, ah. No sudden moves there Captain, we can still add to the body count."

Pike swallowed down bile and forced his tense body to remain perfectly still as Georgiou reached his officer's side. He couldn't take his eyes off the insignia identifying Philippa as one of them. How could starfleet have let this women become one of their own after her history in the mirror universe? When Michael had told him the story he had been shocked Philippa had been allowed free reign in their universe, how could starfleet not have seen this treachery coming?

He surveyed the cave for anything he could use as a weapon or any chance of gaining an upper hand but his search stopped when he spotted the two bodies of his crew. Their unseeing eyes stared into his own hauntingly. They hadn't even seen who had killed them.

Christopher watched numbly as Georgiou took out a pair of restraints and dragged his officer over to a structure; she then secured her arms and removed any devices from her body. Pike remained where he was knowing if he made any move the Ensign would pay for it. Georgiou was ruthless, deadly and far from stupid. She had left someone alive to ensure his cooperation.

When Philippa was done her cold eyes landed on him; his skin crawled from the chilling scrutiny. "Kneel facing the wall, put your hands behind your back." She ordered and grabbed another pair of restraints from her bag.

He hesitated for a fraction of a second too long, it was all Georgiou needed to issue another threat. "Do you need further persuasion?"

Pike eyed the weapon steadily and didn't miss that it was still pointing at his Ensign's helpless body. "No, you've done enough already." He spat dragging his sluggish body to his knees and did as instructed, not willing to risk another persons life. Philippa had more than shown she was capable of killing anyone that got in her way.

He tensed automatically as footsteps neared his back but forced his hands to remain where they were for the sake of the Ensign. A harsh grip clawed into his shoulder unexpectedly and he bit back a groan unwilling to give his captor the satisfaction of knowing she had drawn blood. Cold metal bit into his skin and soon enough both his wrists were captured securely; sealing his fate.

"Up." She accompanied the command with a tugging motion on his arm so he was soon standing as instructed.

He felt the phaser rifle rest against his lower back and walked forward as Georgiou prodded him unkindly. Pike came to a stop beside the bodies of the two fallen men, both too young to die. He sometimes wondered why the universe was so cruel.

"Unless you want another death on your conscious I suggest you move." Georgiou's harsh snarl snapped him out of it and he reluctantly dragged his feet forward and out of the cave.

"Where are we going?" He needed to start working out why the hell Philippa was here, why she hadn't killed him yet and what this crazed emperor's plan was.

He heard her dark chuckle. "To get what I want of course, Spock."

Pike stumbled and his automatic reaction was to tell Georgiou to go straight to hell, only the Ensign back in the cave stopped him from acting so rashly. He had always been afraid Section 31 would find Spock first but Philippa finding him was ten times worst as she clearly wasn't acting for anyone but herself anymore. That left the million dollar question; if not for a job then why did she need to find Spock so badly?

They soon exited the cave's entrance causing Chris to blink under the harsh Vulcan sunlight, unfortunately he couldn't hold his hand up to stave off the sun so he resorted to squinting. His eyesight didn't take long to adjust so he soon spotted their shuttle close by the cave entrance and another parked alongside which was evidently Georgiou's transport. "You're clearly not working for starfleet anymore…"

"What makes you say that?" She interrupted him in a bored tone.

He stopped walking and stared over at his shoulder incredulously at her, ignoring the way the blaster had been adjusted to his head with the sudden movement. "Starfleet don't murder people." He answered coldly.

She threw him a dangerous smile. "Don't they?"

Pike ignored the implications of her accusation and continued what he had been about to ask, he wasn't willing to play this game and there were more urgent things at hand like Spock's continuing existence.

"If you're not under orders anymore then why do you need Spock? I won't let you hurt him." He imagined his protective streak was shining through but he didn't care, he would give his life in a heartbeat for any one of his crew and was not willing to be used as a pawn for whatever crazy plan Georgiou had.

"I don't want to kill Spock." Georgiou laughed. "Why do you and Michael jump to that conclusion?"

Pike couldn't believe this woman, after what she had just done. Philippa quickly noticed his lack of amusement. "Spock knows about the red angel, I need him to help me track it down."

"And then what?" Chris noticed a slight change in his captor, she had a predatory glint in her eye and it unnerved him.

She grinned at whatever crazy vision was running through her mind. "I take the red angel's powers for my own and take what is my mine."

Chris shivered as he heard the sincerity in the promise and _bloody hell_ she was stark raving mad. "So you want to be emperor again?"

Philippa re-emerged from her day dream and smirked at him. "I never stopped."

Pike thought it was rather ironic that just days ago he and Tyler had had a conversation about what would happen if the red angel's powers fell into the wrong hands; he had called Tyler paranoid but perhaps Chris had been too naive? Tyler had been around people like Georgiou and had seen the power hungry beings who wished to dominate the universe, maybe he should have listened to him.

As the Captain stared into Georgiou's crazed eyes he realised this was bigger than him, bigger than Spock. If Georgiou succeeded and got what she wanted then who knew how much damage she could inflict in her war on starfleet? He decided then and there she would get no further co-operation out of him. Threat or no threat.

"You're completely insane." He breathed terrified of what she dreamed of. "And I'm not having any part of it. I'm not going to cooperate with you so you'll just have to shoot me now."

Pike expected to be gunned down immediately, what he did not expect was for Georgiou to laugh at him heartily. "Oh Captain, I don't need your cooperation anymore. Not now I have you."

The Captain's mind reeled then exploded in agony when Georgiou swung her rifle at his head. He collapsed backwards harshly and cracked his head on the warm Vulcan terrain. Pike's vision turned blurry and he felt darkness approaching. He could just about make out the outline of Georgiou's sinister expression before unforgiving metal smashed into his face and the lights went out.

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**A/N - Next chapter should be up in the next few days :)**

**Until next time...**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - Thanks for the interest and reviews :D It really motivated me to get this chapter finished sooner!**

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Shadows danced across his vision and landed to create colourful silhouettes on the cave walls. The Captain was sure he had left a cave so why was he in darkness again and where was Georgiou? Whilst he mused on these questions his feet were moving forwards and he suddenly realised he didn't recognise where he was, why he was walking and why there were shadows jumping out at him.

A loud wailing sound echoed in the dark space. Pike jumped when he first heard the haunting sound reminding him of a wounded animal in pain. The Captain quickened his step all thoughts on the who's and the where's vanishing as he responded automatically to the call for help. He finally reached an opening and could just about make out a hunched figure a few yards away; sadly it was too dark to assess the situation properly but he could tell the faint crying was originating from the figure.

Pike edged towards the mystery person slowly and watched as their shoulders shook and trembled with grief, why were they so sad and why did they seem so familiar? Light suddenly flooded the cave and illuminated the whole space. Chris stopped in his tracks as he recognised the hunched profile kneeling next to a prone body, it was Michael.

"Michael?" He questioned hoarsely.

He saw her stiffen when she heard his voice then she turned and stared at him. Her expression morphed from heartache to anger in a split second and suddenly he was stumbling back under the powerful glare. Pike couldn't get his head round the hatred he could see in Michael's eyes, that was until he looked at the face of the body on the floor.

"No… Spock…" He wanted to reach out and make his friend wake up. He knew from looking at the lifeless eyes and the sheer amount of green blood coating the floor that it was already too late. Pike had never felt like such a failure in all his life, how could he keep letting his crew down? He was supposed to protect them.

He was distantly aware of Michael getting to her feet. "You did this." She pointed at him aggressively and shouted.

The Captain was almost too shocked to register her words and the force behind her rage, the fierce look in her eyes was something he had never seen in Michael and it honestly terrified him.

"No, no I didn't Michael." He pleaded with her needing her to know he could never let this happen to Spock; he would rather die than let this happen.

A vicious knife appeared from nowhere and Michael gripped the hilt tightly. "You killed my brother."

With the force of a tornado Michael tore across the room with the knife held up high. Pike was frozen to the spot and felt utterly helpless as he watched the knife descend and plunge straight into his heart. He felt white hot agony and remembered screaming until his throat was raw. The never ending nightmare flashed in his mind again and again until finally he woke up.

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The Captain was breathing heavily and looked around in fear for any sign of Michael or Spock; the haunting image of his dead officer's face was burned into his retina and he struggled to blink the memory and grief away. He was confused at first when he saw he was inside a shuttle, but then his frantic search located Philippa and all the events of the past few hours fell into place. His memories slammed back into him and it was like being hit by a train. He relived all the misery, pain and death and almost considered just giving up and going back into the darkness. Not that the darkness had been any better…

He had barely started to gather his senses when he heard Philippa laugh and comment on his episode. "Bad dreams Captain? You should see a therapist."

So he had experienced that nightmare and his captor had been witness to that, _great._ He fought the urge to throw up for a few moments and rested his head back against the cool wall, mercifully it helped to ground him and alleviate the pounding in his head a little. It felt like it was literally splitting open and he was pretty certain some of the bones in his face were completely broken, annoyingly he could feel blood dripping and caking almost every inch of his face which was making the simple act of breathing very uncomfortable.

Philippa's words eventually registered and he looked at her in disbelief. "You're one to talk." His voice was croaky but more steady than he could have expected.

His captor beamed knowingly. "Oh I know exactly who I am, it's others who seem to have trouble with the concept." Pike ignored the pointed look she threw at him; it was clear who she was talking about.

Georgiou turned her attention back to a communicator so Pike took the opportunity to assess the situation; he had obviously been knocked unconscious outside the caves and Georgiou must have dragged him here. He looked round the ship and realised that they could actually be anywhere as he had no idea how long he had been out for. So he wasn't going to learn their location until he questioned Georgiou and he really wasn't strong enough for that conversation just yet.

Pike's arms felt seriously heavy and the limbs were starting to cry for attention; when he had first woken up the agony his head was producing outshone everything else but now the rest of his body screamed. He glanced up and saw with dismay that his hands were chained above his head to a sturdy looking bar, he gave his wrists an experimental shake but felt no give in either the manacles or the thing he was attached to. Not that he had been expecting any but it was always good to be optimistic and he could really use a win.

The Captain sighed and resigned to the fact that his hands weren't going to be free anytime soon, which meant the vicious burning in his shoulders was only going to get worse. Annoyingly he had been secured expertly and with the position Georgiou had put him in his knees were going to burn before long and his legs would be dead, numb and stiff. Even if he managed to Houdini his hands out of the restraints by some miracle he was still going nowhere.

With his immediate surroundings assessed and his personal safety hopeless Chris turned his attention back to his captor. She was lounging lazily in the pilot's seat with her feet up on the deck nonchalantly. The Captain mused that it didn't look like she was doing anything as important as planning to take over the universe, then again he hadn't actually met anyone quite this mad before.

Silence stretched out interrupted only by Georgiou's tapping and the Captain's wheezy breathing. He was pretty certain he had cracked or damaged ribs from whatever the hell had taken him down earlier and that one of them was pressing against a lung.

When he grew tired of the boredom he decided to go ahead and ask the pressing question that wouldn't quit pestering him. "Why am I still alive?"

Georgiou scrutinised him for a second before shrugging and decided to answer. "Michael's gone off grid; she doesn't want to be found. I had to find some way to draw Spock out and you and Michael are the two people he cares most about. If I can't get to Michael then you'll have to do."

Pike was almost glad that he was the one being used as a pawn if it meant Michael stayed out of Philippa's clutches, then again Georgiou wasn't wrong about Spock wanting to save him. He didn't let onto that though or how scarily perceptive the emperor was. "I think you overestimate our relationship. I'm his Captain."

She wasn't fooled in the slightest. "I'm not stupid Captain, you're the one who is underestimating it."

Abruptly his captor swung her legs off the dashboard and strolled towards his improvised prison. He tensed involuntarily and hated the way her eyes lit up with pleasure at how her presence affected him; she really was a sadist.

She grinned and held up her data-pad. "Smile!"

Pike squinted against a flash light which sent waves of agony through his synapses. When his vision returned to normal he saw her typing fervently on the pad and realised what had just happened. His captor was taking _pictures_ of him. Well that was new.

"She's not responding to me." Philippa sulked and glared down at him to explain. "But I think this might get her attention."

It suddenly clicked why the picture had been taken, rather like that camera flash. _He_ was the bait and Georgiou was the one setting the trap. Pike prayed Michael would ignore the goad but deep down he knew she wouldn't be able to. Hell with him looking like he did he probably wouldn't have ignored it. His concern for Spock's safety reached it's peak when Georgiou's communicator started ringing and she beamed happily after reading the caller ID.

Philippa threw him a winning smile and answered the call, placing the communicator on the floor so they would both be in on the call. "Hello Michael dear, I though that might get your attention."

"Philippa what have you done?" Pike could hear Michael's despair over the line and felt incredibly sorry for her. What must it have been like receiving a picture like that out of the blue? Being shown your Captain's life was in someone else's hands and there was nothing you could do about it.

Georgiou was positively beaming and clearly loving every minute of this entire situation. She crouched down to meet Pike's eye level and the Captain tried to retreat when her hand shot out towards his face. It was futile as he had now where to go. His head hit the bulk head and he swallowed down bile when his captor gripped his face lightly and trailed a nail down his face; through his _blood._

"I thought a picture spoke a thousand words. If you need another though with more detail perhaps?" The emperor let go of his face and suddenly gripped his neck powerfully.

The Captain couldn't help it, he let out a strangled yelp as his airway was crushed and fought against the restraints uselessly just to breathe again. Michael could hear everything and she instantly attempted to stop the brutal assault on her Captain.

"No, stop it." Michael pleaded in pain.

Pike's struggles grew more desperate and he tried to move his neck away from the crushing hold without much luck. He stared into Georgiou's crazed eyes and shivered at what he saw. It was like he was looking into the center of a black hole, into the chaos of a tornado. The thing that most terrified him though was that she looked more alive and happy now than he had ever seen her; it didn't escape his notice that she was having the time of her life whilst squeezing the life out of _him_.

"Please Philippa!" The Captain barely registered Michael's desperate plea and it looked like Georgiou hadn't either; _christ_ she really was going to kill him.

He started to see black spots appear in his vision and he knew he was only seconds away from passing out and collapsing forever when suddenly the pressure at his throat disappeared.

Pike hacked and coughed whilst desperately hauling in huge handfuls of air. He'd been winded before but this was considerably worst, he was trying desperately to get any and all oxygen he could get his hands on but no matter how hard he tried he still felt like he was drowning. The worst part was he couldn't double up and clutch at his burning throat like his body wanted to, his hands strained painfully against the restraints as they kept him from protecting his chest and throat.

He felt frustrated and angry that he was struggling to get his breathing under control. _Just breath you idiot!_ If it were only that simple. After a couple of panicked seconds he finally sucked in enough oxygen to stave off the black spots and soon the burning in his lungs reduced to manageable levels. His wheezing and coughing hadn't improved with the unexpected assault and he was pretty sure there were angry red marks around his throat, it rattled and seared with each and every breath.

When the Captain could finally breathe normally again he relaxed his strained shoulders and leaned back against the bulkhead miserably, he despised being in such a confined and helpless position. Philippa was watching him carefully and Pike saw the last embers of fire extinguish in her gaze, he would never forget what he had seen in is captor's eyes when her hands had been wrapped around his neck. That had been the embodiment of evil.

Michael's strained voice echoed through the room. "What have you done to him?"

Philippa laughed darkly and rested her hand against Pike's chest, he tried not to flinch under the touch. "Your Captain and I have been spending some quality time together."

He felt disgusted to have Philippa's hands on him again and to be sharing the same air as this murderer. He desperately wanted to move out of her reach and was fearful her hand would grasp his neck again and finish the job. He'd experienced a lot of awful things in his life but being almost choked to death was something that would stick with him for a while, and he would rather avoid undergoing the awful drowning sensation again. He felt sorry for Michael on the other end of the call, he could hear she was struggling to keep a lid on her emotions. It couldn't have been easy to hear someone being strangled to death and be unable to stop it from happening.

"Let him go Philippa." Michael ordered shakily.

Something horrible and fiery flashed in Georgiou's face and her hand flew to grip his jaw firmly. "Address me by my proper title, or do you want your Captain to share his landing parties fate?"

The Captain flinched and was harshly reminded of another failure of his. The dead eyes of the murdered crew flashed through his mind making him even more miserable, his captor's gleeful smirk really didn't help matters either.

"You didn't." Michael sounded as shocked as he had been.

Pike was wary of the hand that was painfully close to his exposed neck so he was a little surprised when Georgiou's mood brightened and she leaned away from him. The fact that Michael was beginning to see what Georgiou was overjoyed his captor to no end.

"Do you think I'm incapable? I killed them without a moments hesitation." Her pupils were dilated with pleasure. "Didn't I Captain?"

It was almost like his captor was looking for a pat on the back or recognition for her actions; she had suppressed the full extent of her nature for so long but now she had been truly set free to rage across the stars. Pike glared at her and stayed quiet, he had meant what he'd said. He wouldn't cooperate with her or her mad plan.

Georgiou's playful look hardened to stone as she realised the Captain wouldn't be helpful or play along. Pike refrained from jumping when a phaser materialised and was pushed against his forehead harshly, the cold metal oddly was soothing against the searing pain in his head.

"So do you want to talk about how we keep your Captain's head in one piece?" The phaser forced his head back inch by inch until he could move no further. The pressure was becoming painful but he still refused to make any noise; not giving her the satisfaction she so desperately craved.

There was a shocked silence on Michael's end causing them all to wait in tense apprehension. "What do you want emperor?"

Philippa closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. She revelled in the moment and soaked up the words. Hearing her true title after so long reminded her of everything she had lost and everything she had been.

"That's better." The blissful smile remained plastered to her face but his captor was back in this moment and refocussed on the situation at hand. "I want Spock, is he there?"

Pike held his breath as the silence stretched out, he prayed that Michael hadn't found Spock or would at least lied that she hadn't. He hadn't forgotten what Georgiou's true endgame was and how catastrophically bad that would be for all of them.

"No." The Captain breathed a sigh of relief.

Oddly the refusal didn't knock Philippa's bright mood or speech in the slightest. "That's a shame, I've got a game for you all to play."

Pike's stomach plummeted as he recognised the murderous expression on his captor's face, it reappeared so quickly that he mused that this aspect of her must always be just under the surface. He was well aware of how helpless he was in his current position and the phaser pointed at his forehead didn't inspire confidence.

"For every minute I don't hear Spock's voice I put a hole through Captain Pike."

_Shit,_ this was going to be unpleasant to say the least.

Philippa waited all of 10 seconds before she got bared with waiting and changed the rules of the game. She adjusted the blaster and rested it against Pike's shoulder joint. He could hear the whirring of the phaser powering up and was sure Michael would to. The Captain braced himself for a hell of a lot of pain and met Georgiou's predatory stare.

She beamed at him happily. "I do hope you weren't too attached to this arm."

Pike squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself as the blaster put pressure against his arm. He grunted under the strain and waited for the inevitable, trying to put his mind in a better place to survive the oncoming misery. He thought he heard Georgiou start to depress the trigger, any moment now and he wouldn't have a right shoulder anymore.

"Wait."

_Spock!_ For a Vulcan, his officer was actually more emotional than he would have people believe. To anyone who didn't know Spock the voice over the communicator would have sounded cold and detached, but Pike could recognise the fear and concern laced in the tone.

The Captain was in two minds about hearing Spock's voice. He was elated that his friend was alive and sounded mostly well; he had grown increasingly worried over the past few months and was beginning to think he would never hear from the Vulcan again. On the other hand Spock being here and talking to Georgiou was the last thing the universe needed.

"Ah Spock there you are. How lucky Michael was able to find you so fast." She was enjoying this game far too much. _Bloody sadist._ "The Captain's shoulder thanks you also."

And with that Philippa removed her phaser from his shoulder and threw him a winning smile. Just like that she had switched from murderous villain to a god damned comedian.

"What do you want?" Spock expertly diverted the conversation away from the threat of violence.

His captor thankfully appreciated the concise manner Spock brought to the table, she even aimed the phaser at the floor rather than at random points of his anatomy which he would rather not say goodbye to.

"An exchange."

_Oh hell no._ Pike had stayed quiet this long but this was exactly what could not happen and Spock needed to know that.

"Don't do anything she asks Spock, that's an…"

Predictably he was interrupted before he could issue the order in full, his head swung to the side as Philippa's hand slapped his face harshly. The assault certainly didn't help alleviate the pounding drums in his head, and he was pretty sure his lip was now split as he tasted coppery blood against his teeth.

"No, no, no. You had your chance to talk." His captor's finger was pressed firmly against his lips and her eyes flashed dangerously.

"Where and when?" Spock interrupted and brought the focus back onto the exchange that just couldn't be allowed to happen. Pike groaned inwardly and he felt an odd sense of deja vu, this wasn't the first time someone had disregarded his orders because they thought they knew better. He distantly heard protests over the line and realised maybe he had tried to reach the wrong person.

Chris ignored the warning glare Philippa was giving him and threw caution to the wind. "Burnham, don't let Spock… Arghhh." That was as far he managed before the phaser crashed into his face and his head exploded with white hot agony, his whole head burned angrily and it was a minor miracle that he didn't pass out there and then.

His sagged against the chains holding him in place; he would have collapsed sideways in a moaning heap if the restraints had been longer. He focussed on simply breathing and rode out the misery flashing through his head. Eventually the strain on his arms became enough for him to try and support his own weight again.

The Captain glanced up at Georgiou and flinched away from what he saw. He thought he had seen her furious but this was something different; he had caught her unaware and played a card that could seriously jeopardise her carefully laid plans. His captor actually shook with rage as she realised that Michael might be able to talk Spock out of coming all together, and then all this would be for nothing.

Pike waited for the shot to come and stared absently into the barrel of the phaser which was aimed directly at his forehead again. He could see in his peripheral vision how badly Philippa wanted to pull the trigger and how much she was struggling with staving off her murderous impulses.

"Captain are you alright?" They both blinked as they remembered the line was open and they weren't alone.

Philippa's face trembled angrily and she nudged his forehead with the phaser. "Answer him, or I'll make them listen to you really suffering."

"I'm alright." He managed weakly, it was probably not lost on any of them that he was far from alright.

His captor clearly didn't trust him to keep his mouth shut any more so suddenly it was covered firmly with her hand, effectively silencing him completely. He breathed heavily through his nose and winced as the action proved difficult, with his mouth blocked and his nose almost broken breathing was becoming arduous.

"I'll send you the coordinates. If I see anyone other than you two…" Philippa growled impatiently.

"We'll come alone." Spock interrupted before any further threat could be made.

Pike could hear further disagreement on the other end of the line and held out hope that Michael would do the sensible thing, and keep Spock the hell away from the crazed ex-Captain.

Philippa looked down at her captive with malice in her eyes. "Don't take too long." She then abruptly cut the communications.

Pike started to get nervous the longer the silence stretched out, her hand stayed exactly where it was stopping any protests he might have from being voiced. Without warning she turned the hold into a painful grip and squeezed his jaw powerfully. He squirmed against the hold but with his hand's restrained above him there was nowhere to go, and she knew that.

"That was pretty stupid Captain." She hissed vehemently.

He tried to school his features which went as well as expected. Philippa took his silence as a challenge and dug her fingers into his flesh until he cried out.

"She won't let him come." He managed to gasp resolutely.

Philippa scrutinised him for a few moments and then unceremoniously released his chin. Pike gasped in relief and took in huge lung falls of air which his starved lungs thanked him for. He was starting to feel ridiculously light-headed and spaced out which he blamed on the mighty beating his head and face had received.

"Michael hasn't got the best record for following orders." Georgiou reminded him and seemed to calm down with the thought, despite Pike's efforts to sabotage her things were still going to plan.

Pike made no comment, he had seen Burnham's record and it was no secret what she had done in the past. She had changed though and he was certain if it were just down to Michael she would do as he ordered, but Spock. Spock would probably just claim he hadn't heard the order or something equally as frustrating. Philippa seemed content with his subdued behaviour. She sprang to her feet and wandered over to the shuttle's controls.

"Lots to do…" She began muttering to herself and then stopped as if suddenly remembering something. She retraced her steps and strode over to him hastily. Chris could tell her from her body language what she intended. "I'm going to need some piece of quiet."

His neck snapped to the side with the blow and he went out like a light.


	3. Chapter 3

The next time Chris returned to the land of the living he was even more miserable with his situation. Sadly the only difference this time around was more blood on his face and a worse headache than before. He didn't have the energy to test his restraints this time round so when he surfaced he focussed on simply breathing, and let his aching body sag as much as physically possible.

He wasn't sure if Georgiou had piloted the shuttle elsewhere or even how long he had been unconscious for. Ever since he had come round his captor had ignored his existence entirely. Pike hadn't minded the lack of attention at first, but now after being alone with his despairing thoughts for some time he was starting to consider that perhaps talking to his captor was the better option.

Pike observed the crazed ex-Captain for some time debating whether it was worth starting a conversation or would his face hate him later for it? As in all things curiosity rather got the better of him and he began to think about who was underneath the surface. He hated to admit it but the Emperor intrigued him purely because he didn't understand her or her motivations. From what little he'd learned about her past the Emperor had loved her version of Michael like a daughter, which somewhat explained her complicated relationship with this Michael.

He finally worked up enough courage, or rather stupidity, to engage the psychopath holding a phaser. "Michael told me about your universe."

Philippa turned to him in surprise and from the expression on her face it looked like she had in fact forgotten he was there. "Did she."

The one question that kept running through his brain concerned Michael. He'd seen the way Georgiou and Burnham were together. The Emperor would probably have people believe that the affection was one-sided but Pike was a keen observer, and he would bet money on Philippa being as equally effected as Michael. Which begged the question how could Georgiou put Michael through this? He was almost certain that Philippa wouldn't be able to bring herself to physically harm Michael, but taking her brother away to certain death would almost be as bad if not worse.

"Michael was your daughter in your world. How can you do this to her? Take her brother away and torment her like you do?" His words may have held a bit more bite than he had originally intended, but Georgiou had completely exhausted what little patience he had.

"She's not my Michael." She slammed her fist against the controls. "She shouldn't have brought me back to this universe."

"I wouldn't have done." He reacted instantly surprising both of them with his stark candour.

Georgiou barked a laugh. "Finally some honesty." She leaned away from the deck and actually took some interest in her captive, squinting at him with a scrutinising look. "Would you really though? A starfleet Captain leaving someone to die."

Pike thought seriously about what he would have done, knowing what he did know about the events of the mirror universe. "Did you ask for help?"

"No, in fact I wanted Burnham gone. I was ready to die."

Pike knew now that Michael had definitely made her decision because of her relationship with the original Philippa Georgiou. It had left her emotionally compromised and no-one should make a life-changing decision in that state. The Emperor should have never been brought to this universe and whatever idiot let her loose in starfleet was responsible for this chaos, for the murders of his crew. Her plan for universal domination should have been obvious. It was what she did in her world, it was who she was.

He finally answered and wished it would make the present different. "Then I would have left you."

Philippa watched him carefully for some time, enough time to make Chris feel more than just a little uncomfortable under the scrutiny. Thankfully a loud beeping distracted both of them and they both glanced towards the sound. Pike recognised a motion sensor when he saw one, from what he could see a shuttle was near which meant Spock and Burnham had arrived.

_Oh no…_

Why couldn't people just listen to orders? He sometimes thought he talked to himself and wondered where it had all gone wrong. A few years ago no-one would haven thought twice about jumping when he said jump, but these days he seemed to be surrounded with officers who performed an interpretation of what he wanted.

The Captain tensed as he watched an external feed of the shuttle landing. "Finally." Georgiou breathed excitedly as they both saw two people exiting alone.

Philippa jumped to her feet sprightly and walked over to her kneeling captive. Chris barely had the time to see the data pad swinging towards his head, he should have really expected more violence after his past treatment. His head snapped to the side and he tasted blood which sadly wasn't a new sensation. What was a new and unpleasant sensation was a loose tooth and his brain ping-ponging inside his skull.

He was pretty sure his jaw was at least bruised by now and maybe probably even broken; he had thought his headache couldn't get any worse but the latest assault made it reach new excruciating heights. The Captain distantly felt his arms being released and suddenly he was face down on the ground with a lot more bruises that he didn't want or need. He cried out finally as his muscles started sending signals to tell his body how excruciating everything was.

Something dug into his lower back making the situation ten times worse and annoyingly the position put undue pressure on his lungs. He gasped for air and took far too long to realise that his arms were now free from restraints. He had been so dazed by the brutal blow that his arms had now been bent upwards and recaptured behind his back, which he supposed was probably the point. He could hardly feel his hands anyway, come to mention it his arms, shoulders and legs were all completely numb from his lengthly confinement.

"Come on we don't want to keep them waiting." Philippa sounded far too excited for this upcoming disaster.

She leapt off of his back and hauled him up by his arms far too swiftly. Pike had to fight back the urge to throw up everywhere as his vision swam and everything tilted violently. He groaned miserably and staggered against the hull, his legs were completely dead and trembled under his weight. If it weren't for his captor's iron-clad grip on his arm he would have crashed to the ground as soon as he went vertical.

"No, no, no." Georgiou dragged him away from the sturdy wall and started to push him towards the rear of the shuttle; his feet stumbled and tripped with each step. "It's show time Captain, no time for slacking now."

Pike gritted his teeth as waves of agony crashed into him. He honestly didn't know how long he could stay on his feet for; now he was standing and having to walk with balance he knew the knocks to his head had affected him more than he had imagined. He would be of little use to Spock and Burnham if they had anything planned during the exchange, he bloody well hoped they did after showing up against his orders like this.

The floundering pair eventually made their way out of the ship and into another cave, Pike was getting really tired of seeing bloody caves. His captor kept a sharp grip on his upper arm and steered him out into the open, and of course the rifle was pressed painfully against his ribs. The cavern was huge and extremely dusty; the whole place was a death trap for his damaged lungs.

The Captain soon spotted Burnham and Spock who were waiting on the other side of the cavern next to their shuttle, Pike could make out that Michael was armed but Spock had no weapons at all. Pike's breath caught when he saw Spock, his officer hadn't changed in the slightest. On the surface he looked stoic and unmoved, but Chris could see his friend was weary and apprehensive. Spock was rarely nervous but clearly this situation merited it.

Pike was wheezing by the time his captor stopped pushing him forwards, he tensed as she moved in close behind him and rested the barrel of the gun against his neck. Adrenaline was about the only thing keeping him standing well that and his concern for Michael and Spock, they had walked _willingly_ into a very dangerous situation.

Chris caught Michael's eye and saw her dismayed expression, she couldn't take her eyes off his face. The Captain could feel all the dried blood pulling at his skin so he knew he must have looked quite a mess, and by god he felt it too. He could see the guilt welling up inside her and wished he could tell her this wasn't her fault, he doubted she would listen whilst he was still in Georgiou's clutches.

Georgiou shook him causing his brain to rattle around inside his skull unpleasantly. "Unarm yourself Michael, and show me you both don't have any further weapons."

Unsurprisingly Michael didn't need any further persuasion before complying; she could see the cruelty that Philippa had already wrought. Burnham unholstered her phaser and threw it to the ground, she followed Spock's lead and showed that they were both completely unarmed.

Pike's heart sank when he saw as his captor did that she was now the only one armed. She could kill all of them if she desired, the power of life and death was entirely in her hands which made Chris very very nervous.

Michael turned her sad stare to Philippa. "What happened to you?"

The Captain became aware that Spock was trying to get his attention discretely. He flicked his eyes to his officer and waited for whatever Spock was trying to tell him, careful to not tip off his captor in the process.

Georgiou was completely oblivious to the secret conversation, she was fully engaged with Michael. "Nothing, I never changed. Do you want to know where you went wrong my dear?"

"Enlighten me."

Pike congratulated Michael for her distraction, it definitely appeared to be working. He followed Spock's signs and discretely looked into the dark. When his eyes adjusted he almost gasped as he spotted Tyler concealed and armed. Thank god Spock and Michael had some sort of plan and had someone covering their backs, he was worried they had been planning on handing Spock over. Georgiou would have taken his officer, certainly killed him and possibly even Michael too.

"Your problem Michael is you will always look at me and see her." Pike caught the flash of emotion wash over Michael's face, the Emperor struck deep where it would hurt the most. "Your Philippa Georgiou died and she's never coming back. I'm nothing like her and I never will be, it's just taken you this long to see it."

Spock indicated 60 seconds and Pike started a mental countdown; he would have to drop and get to the ground bloody quickly to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

"You don't have to be defined by your past, people can change." Michael had started this conversation purely to distract but now wanted answers. Pike could tell his officer was reaching she was struggling to let Philippa go entirely; the guilt of this whole mess was consuming her.

Pike could feel Georgiou getting antsy behind him. "Enough talk of the past. You need to accept how things are now, who I am."

Chris watched as Michael's heart broke in front of him, he wanted to gather Michael up in his arms and make her believe this wasn't her fault. She had only wanted to help and didn't deserve all this to be thrown back in her face.

Michael's gaze shifted back to him and he saw tears prickling in her eyes, he wanted to yell there and then that she wasn't responsible for what had happened to him. Georgiou was the monster here. "Please let him go."

Georgiou tightened her hold on his arm jarring his injuries violently. "When I have Spock."

"Release the Captain first." Spock ordered in a steady voice. Pike had always admired how the Vulcan could stay impartial, well on the surface at least.

Philippa snarled. "I'm not releasing him until I have you."

"If we start walking at the same time, we'll pass in the middle." Spock countered, logical as ever.

"No, we do this my way." Philippa moved the blaster to rest against the Captain's head, her patience evaporated. "When you get to the middle I let the Captain start."

They were at a stalemate and Pike caught the nervous glance from Michael, their plan would have gone a hell of a lot better if he were out of his captor's clutches and far away but this would have to do. "Agreed."

"Good, start walking."

Pike felt the tension in the cave rise when Spock began his lonely walk. The phaser against his head remained steady. Spock soon reached the middle and came to a halt, stubbornness shining through. He raised an eyebrow and indicated to Pike's captor that he wasn't going to move another inch until she held up her end of the deal.

Philippa leaned into Chris and he felt her breath against his neck. "Don't do anything stupid or I'll kill Michael first."

The threat conjured up distressing images in his mind which he boldly shook away. When he became aware that his captor was expecting a response he nodded mutely. Suddenly Georgiou's hand disappeared and he was being propelled forward harshly. The Captain's heart flew into his mouth and it was only by some minor miracle that he didn't end up face down in the dirt. With his hands still restrained it was tricky to regain his balance, but after a bit of stumbling he managed it.

Chris ground his teeth when agony bolted up through his chest and ribs. Every step was agony and it was taking everything he had just to remain upright, but each step forward was a step closer to Spock so he pushed through the misery. Pike watched Michael and Spock carefully for any sign of their plan kicking off.

The Captain matched Spock's speed and focussed purely on putting one step in front of another, half expecting to be cut down any second. His vision was darkening at the edges which was making it damn near impossible to keep track of when he should be dropping. He wanted to drop right now but that wouldn't necessarily get them all out of this alive.

He had almost reached Spock when a phaser blast landed near his feet throwing up dust and almost giving him a heart attack. "Stop!" He realised belatedly that the shot had come from Georgiou and that he should probably stop staggering forwards, Philippa didn't strike him as the kind of person who would bother firing more than one warning shot.

"Somethings wrong…" Damn it, how could she have known?

Pike forced himself to stay completely still and shared a worried look with Spock. This was a pretty shitty position to be in, out in the open like this with Tyler-Voq the only armed one to cover their back's. It wasn't a very re-assuring thought, Pike didn't trust Tyler or whoever the hell he was today in the slightest.

The tension was so dense it could have been cut with a knife. Pike felt the suppressed energy grow in him and felt almost like a coiled spring. When it all kicked off he would need to move and get out of the damn way. Chris heard Georgiou fretting behind him so he mentally prepared his mind for how painful hitting the ground was going to be, he made eye contact with Michael and saw the same conclusion in her face. If they were going to do this then it would have to be now.

"Now!" Michael yelled and dove for her discarded weapon. Pike didn't need telling twice, he dropped to the ground like a stone and landed in a tangled heap. He actually felt the heat of phaser blasts soar past his skin and realised he had only just escaped being shot. The Captain saw Spock running towards him before agony hit and all his nerves were set alight.

The next moments were a complete blur, he curled up into a tight ball and rode out the scorching fire burning his lungs. The air was thick with the smell of burning and he heard multiple phaser blasts race across the space, illuminating it in an eerie blood red. He managed to open his eyes and the scene before him was utter chaos. Dust had been kicked up everywhere, shots flew over his body from multiple directions and then there was a pained cry.

Pike watched Georgiou's face twist in agony and then the ex-Captain was tumbling to the ground as a phaser blast slammed into her shoulder, Chris frowned as he saw the burn pattern and blood and realised it wasn't a stun blast. Who the hell was firing fatal shots?

Philippa raged on the ground clutching at her scorched limb like a wounded animal. Pike shivered as she stopped screaming and looked directly at him, in that second time froze and he saw her desire to kill everything and everyone she could get her hands on. Her will to survive and impressive reflexes were the only things that saved her from the next bolt that landed just where her head had been. Pike watched in awe as the emperor rolled and weaved in between the bolts, some set to stun but the majority fatal.

Chris saw the battle raging inside the emperor who was stuck between retreating, and surviving and leaping for her dropped weapon to enact fiery vengeance. Further bolts grazed her leg made her decision for her, she rolled away and weaved back towards her shuttle diving into the back and just narrowly avoiding getting stunned.

Pike distantly felt someone's body over his and forced down his panic when he recognised Spock, his friend was shielding him with his own body and laid protectively over his Captain. They both stayed as low as they could as the air above them was lit up with deadly bolts of energy. There was so much dust in the dim space that it was almost impossible to see anything, what they all could make out however was the shuttle door closing and their quarry escaping.

Chris felt deflated as he watched the shuttle take off and leave the cave. Michael and Tyler shot at the retreating vehicle which was when Pike saw it was Tyler who had his weapon set to kill, he should have guessed really. Sadly their phaser blasts did no discernible damage and Georgiou sped out to freedom; she hadn't gotten her hands on Spock though so this rescue hadn't been a complete disaster.

Spock shifted his weight causing Pike to groan miserably; now the adrenaline was wearing off he felt every little bump and scrape. The dust really wasn't helping his damaged lungs either, he hacked and coughed until his throat was raw just to get his hands on enough oxygen to refrain from passing out.

"Captain are you alright?" Spock's concerned face filled his view.

One look into his friend's guilty expression was enough to forestall any attempts at lying. "No, I'm not." As if to prove his point his chest and head chose that precise moment to flare up. Chris rode out the misery until breathing became more manageable. He managed a smile as he realised he was safe and Spock was alive. "But I will be."

Pike watched something flash over his friend's face but before he could identify it properly it was eradicated. If he hadn't known the Vulcan better he would have said Spock had just smiled at him.

Spock carefully rolled Pike on his side eliciting many unwanted gasps of pain, he felt like almost every bone in his body was loose and rattling round. Chris felt soft hands on his own and was relieved to feel Spock get started on removing his restraints, he could scarcely remember the last time he had use of his hands.

He distantly heard angered voices growing closer and realised Michael and Tyler were in the midst of a heated argument, thankfully he could also hear them speaking quickly to others to get people after Georgiou. What he did not appreciate was the way his head pounded with every shouted syllable.

"What the hell was that? No one told you to kill her!" Michael hissed at Tyler, uncharacteristically shoving him.

Tyler-Voq squared up to her without hesitation, the Klingon in him reacting on instinct to the aggression. "I have my own orders Michael."

"You're unbelievable, I only let you come along so you could cover our backs."

"I did cover your backs!" Tyler exclaimed loudly, and whilst Pike was grateful they were all still breathing he couldn't handle anymore of this shouting.

"Can you two cut that out until we get back to the ship? My head feels like its going to split open." He managed to groan miserably. Pike wasn't one to make a fuss but right now everything inside him was screaming so he really didn't want these two adding to that.

They both looked down at him and their frustration morphed into guilt when they realised the state he was in, and that they were making it worse. "Sorry Captain."

Pike managed a nod before gasping when Spock accidentally knocked his back setting new fires everywhere. Tyler indicated for Michael to help Spock with the restraints which were being very uncooperative. Pike watched Tyler stalk away warily, whilst he had covered their backs he wouldn't forget whose side the agent was really on. The Captain couldn't hear much from his position but he did pick up on the fact that Tyler was at least updating Discovery, he heard frantic voices and realised his crew must have been in the dark for quite some time. His and Michael's disappearance plus the murdered landing party and Georgiou had predictably sent people into a panic.

Chris hissed when he heard the cuffs finally click open, Georgiou had tightened them far too much so now blood was rushing back into his numb fingers. The sensation wasn't pleasant to say the least. Michael and Spock helped him sit up carefully and Pike breathed heavily when Spock helped bring his arms to a normal position, he hadn't realised how stiff and immobile he really was. One thing was for sure, he was not looking forward to the upcoming sick bay visit which would definitely be lengthy.

The Captain didn't complain as Michael and Spock moved efficiently around him, administering blissful painkillers and dealing with the worst of his surface injuries. He was grateful for the drugs that were now racing round his system staving off the worst of his misery, but that was not going to save these two from the bollocking they deserved for disobeying orders.

"What happened to following my orders without question?" He caught both of their frozen expressions with a stern gaze.

Spock's face flickered. "In fairness Captain you gave your orders under duress so they were invalid."

Pike couldn't help the grin that was spreading across his face. How he had missed his friend, he had a way of using the protocols and rules to argue his way out of any situation. "No, no Spock. That's not going to fly this time."

He looked at both of his officers and put on his best authoritative voice, he imagined the promise didn't carry as much weight considering the way he must have looked right now. "We are all going to talk about this in much more depth."

"Discovery are ready for us." Tyler interrupted.

Michael looked relieved to be out of the spotlight and Pike sighed tiredly. His stern glare made it clear to Spock and Burnham that this was far from over, but for now he was ready to pass out. He sagged against both of them as his energy finally depleted. "Let's go home."

* * *

**A/N - There will be another chapter which will be an epilogue of sorts :) Should be written in the next few days!**


	4. Chapter 4

The journey home was entirely a murky blur. The Captain vaguely remembered being beamed off of Vulcan but not much after that, as soon as he had set foot on his own ship he had passed out from a mixture of exhaustion and pain. The next time he became aware of anything he smelt and heard the annoyingly familiar sensations of sick-bay, he had been an unwilling guest more than once but never with injuries delivered quite as brutally as this.

Pike felt as though he was experiencing an out of body experience, it was the only way he could explain the sheer lack of agony he was feeling. Either he had died somewhere along the way or Doctor Pollard and her team had performed a miracle, of course another option was that he had been here for some time to heal this much.

Chris managed to open his eyes blearily and eventually made out the outline of Michael at his bedside, she had her nose in a book so didn't notice him at first. Pike didn't mind he was enjoying the peace and quiet and the sight of Burnham at ease.

Stupidly he shifted far too quickly and gasped when his bones jarred causing his chest to flare, not as healed as he first thought then. Burnham dropped her book and her attention was completely on him, face creased with worry. He breathed deeply and waved her off; thankful for the sheer amount of pain medication taking the edge off of everything else.

Michael eventually stopped fussing when his vitals stabilised and the pain etched into his face decreased. "Welcome back Sir."

Pike's suspicions of how long his stay had been grew. "How long have I been here?" His voice was a little croaky from lack of use but his throat and larynx felt a hell of a lot less bruised.

Michael gave him a knowing look, she had called him a workaholic more than once. "A few days."

Chris groaned, he had been right. Doctor Pollard had kept him sedated so he didn't aggravate his injuries; he hated it when Doctor's did that. Michael looked very amused from his reaction, Pike fought the urge to scowl knowing it would just make him look more ridiculous. If he'd been here a few days already then he wanted the hell out as soon as possible.

He took stock of his body and was pleasantly surprised to feel more or less okay. He had already found out his mid section and lungs were tender, and his head felt very heavy and heavily bandaged. Other than that he seemed more or less okay although he was sure Doctor Pollard would have something to say about his diagnosis. He lifted a hand tiredly and frowned when he noticed his wrists were wrapped tightly, they stung somewhat and he wondered what the hell had happened to them.

"The restraints left some muscle damage, they were too tight." Michael explained with a sad expression on her face.

Pike blinked at the news. Funny he hadn't even noticed when he was down there, his other injuries had obviously taken precedence. Michael filled him in on exactly what had been and was still wrong; he'd definitely been on the money when he guessed about broken bones in his face. Georgiou had almost broken his jaw, knocked loose several teeth, broken his nose and cheekbone. Hence all the blood, it had looked worse than it was and nothing was going to scar permanently but the multiple head injuries had given the medical team cause for concern for some time. Another reason why he had been kept under was for the swelling on his brain to reduce, Chris hadn't realised it had been quite so serious.

Apart from the head injuries he already knew he had an impact injury against his chest, several ribs had been cracked and bruised which was nothing new for him. His throat had recovered rather quickly after lack of use so thankfully the one thing he needed to command, his voice, was already well on the mend. Hopefully he could be out of here on light duties in the next few days.

With his own health out of the way there were pressing matters to attend to. "What happened to Georgiou?"

He saw the answer in Michael's face before she shook her head sadly. Pike swore. His day was getting worse by the minute. Georgiou could be anywhere in the universe by now and if she got her hands on this red angel then they were all screwed.

"What did she want with my brother?" Michael's sudden question brought him out of his musings.

The Captain sighed heavily and felt a great pressure weigh down on his shoulders. Spock was still in great danger and the burden of that thought made him feel weary. "She needs his help to find the red angel. She wants it's power for herself."

Honestly it sounded crazy to his own ears, but after spending far longer than he would have liked in the Emperor's company he knew how mad and power hungry she was.

Michael shook her head in disbelief. Pike was at least safe in the knowledge that Georgiou had failed in her mission, and there was no way he was letting Spock out of his sight. Speaking of his officer.

"Where is Spock?" He looked round in the beds near him incase he'd missed his friend.

Michael indicated over to the other side of sick-bay, no wonder Pike hadn't seen him Michael had been blocking his view. Chris frowned as he noticed Spock was sedated and restrained to the bed, what on earth had happened?

"What's wrong with him?" He couldn't keep the concern out of his tone.

Michael looked pained and kept her eyes locked on her brother's sleeping face. "He's not himself Captain." She looked at him and Pike felt a little scared at the fear he saw in her eyes. "He needs our help."

The Captain glanced back over at his officer and sighed heavily. There was clearly a much bigger story there but the important thing was Spock was safe and he was getting the help he needed. "Has he said much?"

Michael shook her head numbly. "I didn't get a word out of him until he spoke to Georgiou."

Pike frowned. He had no idea that was the first time Spock had spoken? "He seemed himself." Pike thought back to the exchange and when he first laid eyes on his friend; on the surface at least he had recognised Spock and he had looked well enough under the circumstances.

Michael smiled sadly. "I thought seeing you had brought him out of it, whatever he was suffering from."

Pike could hardly believe that Spock was struggling underneath. He looked so calm and peaceful sedated, who knew that horrors he was experiencing in his mind? "I was so happy to see him alive."

"Me too." Michael looked at Pike strangely all of a sudden. "When we got back to the ship you passed out."

Chris blushed with embarrassment; he couldn't remember much but that had certainly not been his finest hour. He attempted to make a joke out of his fallacy. "It was past my bed time."

Michael scoffed loudly. "As soon as you did it was like a switch flicked in Spock. He became what he was like when I first found him, hasn't said a word since."

Pike watched Michael spill her guts to him she looked insecure about everything to do with her brother and Chris hardly blamed her. It sounded like she had been left without answers, even though Spock was here in a way he wasn't. The Captain found the whole situation odd and what was odder was Spock's reaction around him, somehow Spock had resurfaced when he had been in danger.

The Captain was soon aware of anger taking over Michael, her fists were clenching harshly and her muscles had completely tensed. "Section 31 want custody of him."

Pike immediately understood the furious anger and mirrored it also. "Over my dead body." He growled protectively.

Michael grinned at his reaction. "That's exactly what I told Tyler."

Pike laughed heartily forgetting entirely about his ribs which was a painful lesson to learn. He wished he had been a fly on the wall in that conversation; he had a feeling it would of been very amusing to watch Tyler squirm.

When his breathing and hacking calmed down he made them all a promise. "I'll deal with section 31."

There was nothing he would not do to protect his people and his crew.

Michael raised a brow in amusement. "Doctor Pollard might have something else to say about that. She is not happy with your injuries."

Pike grimaced and with great timing felt a flash of fire race up his side. "I'm not happy with my injuries."

His tone had been light and he had been joking but one look at Michael's face told him the joke had fallen flat, worse he had made Michael's guilt resurface. She got lost in his injuries again and he watched her expression twist between rage and grief.

Chris took her shaking hand in his. "Don't do that." He warned.

Michael felt tears pricking at the corner of her eyes; she was struggling to keep a hold on her emotions and Pike felt awful that she had been dealing with all of this by herself. "I did this." She whispered in a broken voice.

"Georgiou did this, all of it." Pike countered strongly.

Michael finally met his gaze. "If I hadn't have brought her back then none of this would have happened."

Pike squeezed her hand firmly and willed her to see the truth. She couldn't blame herself for this or where would it end? "You can't do that to yourself. What if's and could be's are of no use to anyone."

Michael pulled her hand away and hung her head in shame. "The people she murdered would still be alive." She was gazing at his neck again. "You wouldn't have been hurt."

The Captain wanted to scream at her or shake her out of this despair. "That's on her Michael. You can't make someone's decisions for them. You tried to help and that is all anyone can do."

When would Michael see she had such a big heart? Her compassion was the driving force behind every decision she made and it was what made her such a good officer. Pike hadn't had the privilege of knowing her long but everything he'd learned told him she was a good person; she definitely didn't deserve this.

Michael's teary eyes sought his and he wanted so badly to offer her some comfort. "I don't know how I can live with it."

And that was the crux of the issue. Burnham was thinking about this as just her problem, like she had to take all of it in and fix every problem herself. The Captain gripped Michael's arm firmly. "We find her, fix this. Make sure those who lost their lives didn't die in vain."

Michael looked like she desperately wanted to believe him probably just as desperately as he wanted her to trust him. He made a mental note to keep more of an eye on her over the coming weeks. She was dealing with far too much at the moment and it was enough to make anyone crumble under pressure.

Eventually she pulled herself together and wiped her tears away. "Thank you Captain."

Pike felt oddly embarrassed, she was thanking him after saving his and Spock's lives? "No, thank you Michael. For saving mine and Spock's lives."

He was incredibly thankful that she had been the one to find her brother, it could have been a hell of a lot worse. Pike had lost countless nights sleep over the past weeks worrying about his friend; he had been seriously worried he would never see Spock again.

Michael pulled her hand away from his and straightened up in her chair, closing herself off emotionally. The Captain watched sadly as Michael rebuilt her shields and wished he could help further, but he imagined she would always feel guilty and burdened whilst Georgiou was out there and Spock wasn't himself.

Pike found all the thinking made him sleepy. The last thing he wanted to do was lay down and rest whilst problems still existed and section 31 prowled, what if Discovery needed him? He blinked rapidly and fought off a yawn, he didn't want Burnham to catch on and leave. Unfortunately she noticed and smiled at his awful attempts to hide his fatigue. "Rest Captain. Discovery is in good hands."

Captain Pike believed her instantly; he trusted his ship and Spock's safety with Burnham and his crew. He supposed it would be easier to command when he didn't have drums playing in his head constantly. Pike fell back into blissful oblivion refusing to think properly about the uphill struggle they all had to climb. For now he was alive, his ship was safe and Spock was back amongst family. He could rest easy knowing that.

* * *

**A/N - And that's a wrap! I've got a couple of ideas for some further stories involving the Discovery crew and dangerous situations which I should start writing in the next few weeks**


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